Tawanos: Gods it's been a while since I last updated anything. I hope you
all, that are left, can forgive me. My grandmother had a stroke just after
I got out of school, so you can understand that my life is a bit hectic at
the moment. I'm going to be away from home for a while and I am not sure
when I will be near a computer again so you will have to forgive me if
there are no updates. But here is a chapter that I said would be up a
while ago, I hope you like it.
Chapter 4- Painful Memories
It was several hours since Bit went onto the roof to take his nap. The sun was about to set and Leena wanted a good position to watch it from. Quietly she headed up onto the roof so she wouldn't wake Bit. She opened the hatch at the top of the stairs expecting to see Bit sleeping he was not sleeping. Bit was sitting cross-legged looking at something cupped in his hands a thin gold chain leading from whatever it was up around his neck, but it was look on Bit's face that startled Leena the most. He was at the same time full of grief, extreme sorrow, and burning anger. As she watched a single tear rolled down his cheek.
Leena was not paying attention as her hold on the hatch began to slip. Suddenly the hatch fell out of her hands and slammed onto the roof. Hurriedly Bit stuffed the thing into his shirt and turned to glare at the person who had interrupted him. His glare softened when he saw who it was.
"Oh, its you." Bit turned away from her and stared out into the forest. Leena closed the hatch before walking up behind Bit and putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Bit? Are you ok?" Bit was one of the toughest people she knew, and to see him crying was very disturbing.
"Tomorrow..."
"What about tomorrow?" Leena kneeled down beside Bit.
"Tomorrow is the three weeks to the day that my mother and little sister were burned alive in their own home and my father died so you could escape." Another tear followed the first. "Three weeks ago tomorrow I lost everything dear to me, everyone that I cared about except Liger because he was with me hunting." Tears were running freely down Bits face. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a golden locket. He opened the locket and showed Leena the two locks of hair that were clipped to the inside. "My mother gave this to me to remember them by when I went traveling during the summers. My father made the locket." He pointed to the curly golden lock of hair. "My sister's form when she was a baby." He pointed to the other that was straight and light brown. "My mother's..." He could not talk any more. He closed the locket and held it against his chest openly sobbing.
Leena could stand it no longer. She pulled Bit into a loving embrace. She rested his head against her shoulder and began rocking back and forth.
"Shhhh, everything will be alright." She continued to comfort the warrior for sometime, completely forgetting about the sunset. Even after he had run out of tears she continued to hold him. Bit let out a humorless laugh, and pulled away from Leena
"Look at me. The son of the king's champion, decedent of one of the mightiest warriors in history, crying. I shouldn't be like this, I should be stronger than this."
"Losing your entire family is no small matter." Leena put her hand on Bit's shoulder. "I believe that even your ancestor Liger would be sobbing if he lost his family. I'm surprised that you didn't try to take revenge or something." Bit turned away.
"I did take my revenge on the soldiers. A day after I left the ruins of my home I found the soldiers that had burned it. I didn't even think, I just rushed into the camp and started attacking them." Bit turned back to Leena, his face was hard and unfeeling.
"How many, Bit?" Her voice little over a whisper.
"Forty? Fifty? A hundred? I don't know." His voice became so soft that it was hardly audible. "I killed them. I killed them all. There was no reason for me to kill them, but I was so angry that I didn't care."
"No one blames you, Bit."
"Can't you see? I blame myself. I broke my father's most important rule. Never ever kill another person except in self defense."
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you there. As you said you are the only one who can forgive your self. I wish I could help." Leena said apologetically. To her surprise when she looked at Bit again she saw him smiling.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being here, for listening to me, but most of all for actually caring." He leaned over and kissed her lightly on her cheek. "Thank you." A slight blush entered Leena's cheeks as she lightly ran her fingers over the place where he had kissed her. "But what about you? Your father said that you lost your mother later that day."
"Yes. We fled the castle on foot. There were mobs everywhere, as we ran one caught us. We all started running, to loose the mob we split up with plans to meet up at the repair shop where the Chariot was. By the time I got there my father and brother were already there. We waited as long as we could but she never came." Tears began to run down her cheeks. "I begged them to stay longer, but the mob was closing in. We fled." Bit put an arm around the crying princess, she responded by leaning against him and putting her head on his shoulder. "My mother was killed by the mob, we found out later. She had no way to defend herself against them."
"Your father hired me to protect his family, but he said that Leon could take care of himself, and that I was entrusted with your protection. I will be there to protect you, I will make sure that no one hurts you." But Bit was speaking to a deaf ear because Leena had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Carefully, so as not to wake her, Bit reached over and flipped open the hatch. Even more carefully Bit picked up Leena and carried her down into the Chariot.
Both Leon and Doc, who were reading, saw Bit with sleeping Leena in his arms. Leon got up and opened the door to her room. Bit placed her on her bed and covered her with her blanket. As he and Leon left the closed the door quietly. Bit found himself looking into the king's face, and at the moment it looked very stern.
"What was that about?"
"She came up to the roof and we were talking. She fell asleep and I brought her down here. Nothing happened."
"I should hope not. Leena is a princess and as is our custom she will marry royalty. Bit your family was well respected but you are not royalty."
"I understand perfectly." Bit said coolly, but he could not help but feel saddened by what the king said. Bit turned and headed back up to the roof. Liger had just returned and was curled up in the corner his head on his paws watching Bit as he lay down and stared up at the stars. Liger growled softly but Bit understood what he said.
Bit didn't respond immediately, he thought about how it felt when he carried her down to her bed. How good it felt to have her in his arms.
"Yea, I guess I do." His mind at ease, Bit slipped into sleep.
Next Chapter: The plot thickens. Harry gets a few lumps from Bit. What is Jager Lake and why does it strike a cord with Bit? Find out next time in Chapter 5- Emotions.
Chapter 4- Painful Memories
It was several hours since Bit went onto the roof to take his nap. The sun was about to set and Leena wanted a good position to watch it from. Quietly she headed up onto the roof so she wouldn't wake Bit. She opened the hatch at the top of the stairs expecting to see Bit sleeping he was not sleeping. Bit was sitting cross-legged looking at something cupped in his hands a thin gold chain leading from whatever it was up around his neck, but it was look on Bit's face that startled Leena the most. He was at the same time full of grief, extreme sorrow, and burning anger. As she watched a single tear rolled down his cheek.
Leena was not paying attention as her hold on the hatch began to slip. Suddenly the hatch fell out of her hands and slammed onto the roof. Hurriedly Bit stuffed the thing into his shirt and turned to glare at the person who had interrupted him. His glare softened when he saw who it was.
"Oh, its you." Bit turned away from her and stared out into the forest. Leena closed the hatch before walking up behind Bit and putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Bit? Are you ok?" Bit was one of the toughest people she knew, and to see him crying was very disturbing.
"Tomorrow..."
"What about tomorrow?" Leena kneeled down beside Bit.
"Tomorrow is the three weeks to the day that my mother and little sister were burned alive in their own home and my father died so you could escape." Another tear followed the first. "Three weeks ago tomorrow I lost everything dear to me, everyone that I cared about except Liger because he was with me hunting." Tears were running freely down Bits face. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a golden locket. He opened the locket and showed Leena the two locks of hair that were clipped to the inside. "My mother gave this to me to remember them by when I went traveling during the summers. My father made the locket." He pointed to the curly golden lock of hair. "My sister's form when she was a baby." He pointed to the other that was straight and light brown. "My mother's..." He could not talk any more. He closed the locket and held it against his chest openly sobbing.
Leena could stand it no longer. She pulled Bit into a loving embrace. She rested his head against her shoulder and began rocking back and forth.
"Shhhh, everything will be alright." She continued to comfort the warrior for sometime, completely forgetting about the sunset. Even after he had run out of tears she continued to hold him. Bit let out a humorless laugh, and pulled away from Leena
"Look at me. The son of the king's champion, decedent of one of the mightiest warriors in history, crying. I shouldn't be like this, I should be stronger than this."
"Losing your entire family is no small matter." Leena put her hand on Bit's shoulder. "I believe that even your ancestor Liger would be sobbing if he lost his family. I'm surprised that you didn't try to take revenge or something." Bit turned away.
"I did take my revenge on the soldiers. A day after I left the ruins of my home I found the soldiers that had burned it. I didn't even think, I just rushed into the camp and started attacking them." Bit turned back to Leena, his face was hard and unfeeling.
"How many, Bit?" Her voice little over a whisper.
"Forty? Fifty? A hundred? I don't know." His voice became so soft that it was hardly audible. "I killed them. I killed them all. There was no reason for me to kill them, but I was so angry that I didn't care."
"No one blames you, Bit."
"Can't you see? I blame myself. I broke my father's most important rule. Never ever kill another person except in self defense."
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you there. As you said you are the only one who can forgive your self. I wish I could help." Leena said apologetically. To her surprise when she looked at Bit again she saw him smiling.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being here, for listening to me, but most of all for actually caring." He leaned over and kissed her lightly on her cheek. "Thank you." A slight blush entered Leena's cheeks as she lightly ran her fingers over the place where he had kissed her. "But what about you? Your father said that you lost your mother later that day."
"Yes. We fled the castle on foot. There were mobs everywhere, as we ran one caught us. We all started running, to loose the mob we split up with plans to meet up at the repair shop where the Chariot was. By the time I got there my father and brother were already there. We waited as long as we could but she never came." Tears began to run down her cheeks. "I begged them to stay longer, but the mob was closing in. We fled." Bit put an arm around the crying princess, she responded by leaning against him and putting her head on his shoulder. "My mother was killed by the mob, we found out later. She had no way to defend herself against them."
"Your father hired me to protect his family, but he said that Leon could take care of himself, and that I was entrusted with your protection. I will be there to protect you, I will make sure that no one hurts you." But Bit was speaking to a deaf ear because Leena had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Carefully, so as not to wake her, Bit reached over and flipped open the hatch. Even more carefully Bit picked up Leena and carried her down into the Chariot.
Both Leon and Doc, who were reading, saw Bit with sleeping Leena in his arms. Leon got up and opened the door to her room. Bit placed her on her bed and covered her with her blanket. As he and Leon left the closed the door quietly. Bit found himself looking into the king's face, and at the moment it looked very stern.
"What was that about?"
"She came up to the roof and we were talking. She fell asleep and I brought her down here. Nothing happened."
"I should hope not. Leena is a princess and as is our custom she will marry royalty. Bit your family was well respected but you are not royalty."
"I understand perfectly." Bit said coolly, but he could not help but feel saddened by what the king said. Bit turned and headed back up to the roof. Liger had just returned and was curled up in the corner his head on his paws watching Bit as he lay down and stared up at the stars. Liger growled softly but Bit understood what he said.
Bit didn't respond immediately, he thought about how it felt when he carried her down to her bed. How good it felt to have her in his arms.
"Yea, I guess I do." His mind at ease, Bit slipped into sleep.
Next Chapter: The plot thickens. Harry gets a few lumps from Bit. What is Jager Lake and why does it strike a cord with Bit? Find out next time in Chapter 5- Emotions.